It’s been awhile since I have written…well not too long. I wrote blogs for sixty days. However, I promised myself that after the sixty days; I’d only post relevant information to my writing, singing and acting.
So here is the latest news. I performed at Open Mic night for Credo Coffee Shop last Monday evening in College Park, Florida. My family and friends supported me in many ways. I asked my parents to babysit and I had sisters/friends who came out to root me on. I was overcome with gratitude for their support. Below is a peak at the YouTube clips of two songs I wrote.
First song: No Home Without You (Co Written: Kimberly Beaman and Susie Foster-Trewick; Vocals by Kimberly Beaman) Copyrights 2013
Okay so I broke my own rules. I have done it before and I will do it again. Yes, bloggers and fans; instead of writing my usual daily post, I decided to write one big post about the weekend. Please forgive me! Rules were meant to be broken.
The weekend was filled with inspirational moments. I was inspired by artists this weekend. It began with the discovery of a hip coffee shop located in College Park. ”Credo Coffee Shop” online message reads, “The downtown credo reminds us to refuse the natural tendency toward floating through life “merely existing” and challenges us to pursue lives of meaning and purpose. We’re finding that the best starting place is service. As we begin to engage the city creatively finding ways to serve, we’ll enter into a cause that can support the weight of our lives. We’ll encounter more fulfillment and see more joy.”
I adore this message of service and community!!! I learned about this shop through a friend and celebrated a surprise birthday party there Saturday evening. Check this place out at http://www.downtowncredo.com/meaning/
There is an open mic the first Monday of every month. I am super excited as I want to meet other singers/songwriters and my goal is to begin singing my very own original tunes there. If you want to learn more about open mic night check out this link:
Performers get ten minutes to sing two original songs and impress the audience as well as the panel of judges. Three finalists are invited back to the stage at end of the evening to perform one more song. Performers are judged in 5 different categories including vocal performance, songwriting, playing ability, stage presence and audience response.
I plan to attend my first Monday viewing of amazing talent tonight!!! This weekend was filled with discovery. I signed up for a Film Class and plan to sharpen my acting skills on camera. It has always been a dream of mine to act on film. Can you tell I did a lot of dreaming this weekend?
On my drive back from dropping our daughter off to school, a song came on called “Something More” by Sugarland. This song truly spoke to my heart and soul. It describes how I feel about a life transition which has been occurring over the last year. Check out this song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp5foT32tKM
Here is my favorite verse(lyrics) in the song;
“Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate
I believe that happiness is something we create
You best believe that I’m not gonna wait
‘Cause there’s gotta be something more”
And with that, good day and have a great week ahead,
Yes, I know. My posts lately have been a day (or two) late. Better late than never. I have vowed to write a post every day for sixty days. The post below is for yesterday, Day 40!
What a beautiful Winter Park day~
Forecast: Clear skies, windy and cool
Highlights for today:
* We had a rocking’ family garage sale! It was fun and the entrepreneur side of myself loved to sell, sell, sell.
I enjoyed time with my family while selling. And I even bought a few things at our own garage sale. Ha ha
* Spending quality time with family and watching our favorite shows. I watched “The Secret” on Netflix and this sparked my creativity. The law of attraction is truly a powerful tool in our lives.
Well that’s all folks. Saturday was uneventful except for the garage sale. Wish I had more to report. But then again, it was a day to relax and recover from a very fast paced week.
Day 26, I cannot complain. Today was a another beautiful day in Winter Park. The sun was beaming yet it was crisp as the ocean breeze. It was cool but not freezing. Here are the highlights for today.
* My in-laws visited and spent the day with us. We really enjoyed spending time with them. Olivia practiced her spanish and called her grandmother (Abu) and her grandfather (Belo). Well lets just say she tried to say “Belo” but it came out as “Bayo”. Olivia enjoyed catching bubbles and cuddling with her new favorite toy doggy named “Roxy.” Thanks Abu y Belo for a fun day!
* I managed to take a nap while Olivia slept. Well lets just say we all slept. That’s right. Abu, Belo, Art, Olivia and I all took a nap and at the same time. That is a rarity!
* A nap= a rested, happier mommy!
* I achieved one round of Lumosity. Lumosity improves brain health and performance.
Check it out at http://www.lumosity.com/
* I posted on my blog! Day 27, you creeped up on me but I feel proud, that I am still writing, twenty-seven days later. Woo Hoo!
* And lastly, my music goal today is to post one of my song ideas (lyrics only) for your feedback. So here it is. The song is entitled “On A Sunday” written/copyrighted 2008. I left this song incomplete and recently worked on it.
Twenty-One must be a lucky number because today has gotten off to a great start! I dropped our daughter off at school. After walking her to school, I decided to get a Chai Tea Latte at Barnie’s off Park Avenue in Winter Park. Who knew that Barnies offers such great options for the alternative milk drinker. They have soy milk and almond milk. Equally impressive was their prices and they don’t up charge for alternative milk. Fantastic! They are super friendly and the store is very clean. So long Starbucks, hello Barnies!
The day has only gotten better. Why? Because I have decided that instead of using my few hours of alone time to clean house and organize (we recently moved to a condo); I am using the time to write lyrics and relax. The cleaning and organizing can happen later. I finally feel like I am getting the ball rolling on my plan to live a life of creative inspiration. I wrote a song today that actually brought tears to my eyes. This is a rarity. It’s important for me to write songs that have emotional pull. I cry to other people’s songs but not to my own, generally. I will be posting the lyrics and music in near future. First I need to get my voice back (as I have been sick with a cold).
I have to mention, last night I went walking with my husband off Park Avenue. Thanks to my Aunt for babysitting =)), and we thought we spotted Bono from U2. At first we brushed it off but continued to talk while sitting at nearby park bench. This mysterious man was with a crew of individuals carrying fancy cameras. Let me back track for a moment. My husband said, “You know I think that is Bono.” To which I replied, “I don’t think so but maybe. He does look familiar.” Then suddenly this mysterious man pulled out a guitar and sang the U2 song ” One Love ” and he sang it REALLY well. We rushed over and asked one of the gentleman standing near, if it was Bono. He quickly said “No, I’m just playing with film.” This guy was clearly covering for “Bono”. Well we got a few pics from afar to share with you. What do you think? Is this Bono? I was starstruck! Bono, if you happen to read this blog, will you sing guitar with me sometime in near future? Thanks!
Today is Day 11, my lucky number !!! What follows is a synopsis of my day. Our sweet baby girl has been under the weather since Wednesday evening. So mommy and daddy have been busy taking good care of her. Today I took Liv to our first appointment with a new pediatrician who is an MD but also skilled in Alternative Medicine. It is such a relief to find a pediatrician who believes in empowering families through prevention, education and support.
I visited my favorite business for skin care this evening. It is called The Sanctuary of Winter Park. The owner/founder is Usha Naran who is also a friend of mine. She is such a professional, kind and genuine individual. I admire her as a specialist in skin care and as a person. She specializes in facials, waxing and make up. Also there is a wonderful lady there named Maria who is very talented and is also a friend of mine. Maria provides many services including waxing and pedicure/manicure. I see Maria for eye brow waxing and always leave happy! Check out this peaceful Sanctuary that is well-known for skin care in Winter Park.
I could go on and on about my day, but don’t want to bore you today. First and foremost, today was about taking care of our bambina (spanish for “baby girl”). We also ran a few errands together. The process of organizing, decluttering and unpacking is taking longer than anticipated. Olivia keeps me laughing when life can be so serious.
I am beginning to truly miss lyric writing, acting, singing and dancing. Mostly I miss singing, and acting. I have the acting bug again! So I am hopeful that next week will be the last week of serious organization mode; so I can concentrate on acting/music again. I sing and write now but not to the extent of my soul’s purpose. There are many changes being made on a personal and professional note; which are preparing me for this next phase.
My daughter Olivia Daisy carried her cookie with her to take a bath this evening. Olivia rushed to the tub as soon as she heard daddy twist faucet on. She then proceeded to climb over the tub fully clothed. I intervened, quickly removing clothing and getting her into her favorite duck for bath time fun. Once in the duck, she watched the crumbs of her cookie fall into the water. It was a candid moment. I urged my husband to grab a camera stating ” Olivia wants her duckie and cookie too!”
Surprisingly, Olivia did not eat her cookie, but merely starred in awe of the crumbs floating away. Finally, after some prompting; she began eating the cookie while enjoying her bath. I began to wonder the metaphor/meaning of this joyful event. Perhaps the crumbs floating away, remind us of mindfulness. It is important to really be present, even while enjoying/eating food. Liv wanted her cookie and her bath. Perhaps a metaphor for how all is possible in life. A broad generalization, maybe, but I am choosing not to analyze. I think about how I want to be a mom and career woman: the delicate balance between both. My daughter inspires me more than I could ever have imagined. If you look closely at picture below you can see our cookie monster. Cookie in her left hand and crumbs on bottom of duckie bath.
And here is a brief synopsis of the earlier part of my day. This morning while my daughter was at school; I had a few hours to cook, organize and relax. Mostly I cooked dinner like a “crazy person”. I basically stayed hyper focused on the task of cooking. By doing so, with minimal distraction; I cooked two meals and managed to cook Olivia her favorite oatmeal for tommorow’s breakfast. Then with the last forty-five minutes; I decided to relax while listening to a guided meditation on YouTube. It was called the Universal Mind Meditation by Kelly Howell. There was one quote that really stood out. As I lay still the soft tone whispered, “I’m not the past, present or the future, I simply am.” I felt restored, even after just 20 minutes of listening to guided meditation. I adore Kelly Howell’s work and truly believe in our brain’s potential and power to envision change, and to heal through guided imagery.
Tonight I led a group for adults grieving the death of a loved one. It was a great group of individuals and I always leave group feeling purposeful and with immense gratitude. After group, it was all family with laughter and yummy home cooked food. What more can we ask for?
Last night I felt blogger guilt. I was out on a date with my husband and suddenly remembered my blog. You see, I promised myself I’d write a blog each day. On Monday night, I planned to write about Sunday and Monday, however; I was unable to access the internet. And then it was Tuesday evening.
I tend to set very high expectations of myself. My hope was to write a blog each day, but it was a fast-paced, fun and mommy-tired sort of weekend. And then one needs to recover from such a whimsical weekend. So there was Monday. I spent a good part of Monday cleaning house. No longer will I continue to set such a high expectation. I think it is more realistic to say I will blog most weekday nights and blog once about each weekend. So below is a synopsis of the last four days (including today).
The weekend was useful in that I sorted through boxes and continued to organize our new home. As for family time, we went to Winter Park Farmer’s Market Saturday morning. For the novice marketeers, it can be intimidating. There is a large crowd and it is packed. And it was momentarily scary when one vendor’s food truck began to tilt on its side. It just so happened that this food truck was a barbeque pit with smoke filling the air. Everyone froze as the truck tilted further in one direction. There was a loud gasp of shock and fear. But within seconds, the food truck was back up and running.
What I love the most, food wise, is a delicious crepe. They even have gluten-free crepes now. Yes, I ordered gluten-free with fruit and peanut butter. Although I am going dairy-free; I figured a minimal amount of skim milk will do no harm. For health reasons, I have decided to go dairy free. Apparently there are great benefits to sticking to an all plant protein based “livit”. I prefer to not use the term “diet” rather, to use “livit” as this is a positive change. The WP market is worth the trip!
Sunday evening, I went to see Mary Poppins musical at Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre. One word “Dynamic!” The set was extraordinary. I guess that is two descriptive words. The artists were top notch and the choreography impeccable. It was an inspiring musical to anyone, of any age. There were many metaphors to a life well lived. One of my favorite quotes is from Jane & Michael, ” Stretch your mind beyond fantastic, dreams are made of strong elastic.” I felt inspired to continue this path of creative risk, adventure, and positive growth. Thanks to my sisters for gifting me this occasion!! Check out upcoming shows at the following website: http://www.ticketmaster.com/Bob-Carr-Performing-Arts-Centre-tickets-Orlando/venue/278567
And the exciting recent news is we have finally installed our brand new oven, into our brand new condo. The more organized I become, the more ready I feel to confidently stride forward as an actor, singer and writer. It is a cleansing of mind, body and spirit.
So this is how day five started out. It was another beautiful day in Winter Park, Florida. Look at the blue sky and the colorful flowers off Park Avenue. I noticed Sassafras, a sweet shoppe while walking my daughter to school. This shop often is full of children eager to pick out their favorite candies. Also I have seen kids birthday parties being thrown there. Pretty “sweet”!
It was another productive day. I managed to clear out two boxes in a room full of home items. We are still in the process of unloading and organizing our new place. It is fun but arduous, and time-consuming. I don’t even know the definition of arduous to be honest, but I like the way that sounds. Today was about running errands and sticking to this week’s plan. The plan was to de clutter, simplify our lives. I had a set time frame to do so, while my baby, almost toddler, was at school.
Lets see I went to Whole Foods at one point today and enjoyed an “almost lunch” with my “almost toddler.” That’s right I’m a fool to believe that my daughter can sit still while I eat a delightful sandwich. Nope! She ate well and then I quickly packed up my lunch for later. It’s all good! Lets see, fast forward and Olivia, our dogs and I went for a brief walk. The walk was brief because Olivia wanted to jump out of the shopping cart. You see in order to walk the dogs and have a happy baby with me; we have resorted to using the shopping cart. Olivia usually loves sitting upfront and looking at surroundings. Not this time. She wanted to jump out of cart, at every opportunity. So the walk was cut short and back to dancing around the house. There is never a dull moment. She is growing like the daisy she is.
This evening my husband, baby and I went to a new restaurant. Check it out if you can. ”Tako Cheena” is the name of this eclectic asian fused with latin cuisine. At first I was skeptical; how could chinese food mixed with latin food be good? But they have found a unique blend. The food was delicious and several options for vegetarians and vegans. There was one delicious sauce that combined garlic, chives and ginger. I will definitely be returning. The night had the best ending. My daughter played with her toys in her bath duckie. Meanwhile, she showed me how to blow bubbles underwater (and of course with mommy supervision). And after the bath, and some resistance to sleep; Olivia was snuggled up in my arms ready for bed. What more can I ask for?
Singer, Writer
Kimberly Beaman
